INK BOTTLE, STONE, STEPHENS' SCARLET WRITING FLUID

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c. 1930 - 1951

Overview

Stephens' Scarlet Writing Fluid, ceramic bottle.

Historical information

The Australian factory opened in Sydney in 1930, bottles were owned and returned to the factory for re-filling as bottle manufacturing was costly.

After changes to the Australian import duties on inks when a local manufacturing works was established in the early 1930s by Stephens Inks (Australia) Ltd., in 1935, the company had a new two storey factory designed by architects B.B. Wilshire & N. Hodges built on the Pacific Highway, North Sydney. The ink was sold in locally-made glass bottles that remained the property of the company and were collected for reuse.

The company was liquidated in 1951.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-46-1976.90

Width

100 mm

Height or length

258 mm

Depth

100 mm

Inscriptions and markings

Text on label: "40 FLUID OZ S/ALDERSGATE ST LONDON/ STEPHENS' / SCARLET/ WRITING FLUID/ No. 35 / PRINTED IN ENGLAND/ THIS LABEL IS TRADE MARK/ HM STEPHENS." There is faint writing behind No. 35, not all is legible "...Scarlet colour...makes a vivid contrast/ ........correcting etc. Being a / ,......much......fountain pens./ ......inks (AUST).....Ros street, Sydney, N.S.W."
Impressed on base: "R. FOWLER LTD / SYDNEY/ 37"

Contextual information

Stephens' Scarlet Writing Fluid, ceramic bottle. Is an example of revolutionary office equipment of the early 20th century.
Stephens' Ink' was invented by the British physician, Dr Henry Stephens (1796-1864), who in 1832 first developed his indelible "blue-black writing fluid" that became the basis of a successful manufacturing enterprise lasting over 130 years. Stephens' ink revolutionised office life in the latter half of the 19th century, because it was ready-to-use and saved clerical workers much time previously spent mixing powdered inks. The inks were indelible -non-fading.

Place made

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Year

c. 1930 - 1951

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Links to additional resources

https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/250718

Item SH 850304: Ink Bottle - Stephens' Inks, Blue Ink, Pottery, Corked from the Psychiatric Services Collection, Museums Victoria

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/220007903?searchTerm=stephens%27%20inks%20sydney

Stephens' Inks Sydney liquidation notice 1951, Trove

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